Padarath: Fines, a money-making scheme?

The House yesterday debated the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2017 that re-classifies some offences as “traffic violations”, endorses a red-light camera system, a demerit points system and the reform of the fixed penalty system plus other related matters.

He noted the Attorney General’s revelation of 67,000 traffic cases now clogging the law courts, and concerns as to whether this backlog could be cleared.

Padarath said the bill proposes stiff penalties.

“The Government’s motives must be genuine. They must attempt to create a new system that will affect the commuting public and their lives in a positive way.

Many in the country fear that the bill before us is really a money- making scheme.” In order for the bill to gain any public acceptance, it cannot be seen as surreptitious in nature and without offering redress, he advised.

He urged Government to launch a public education campaign to let the public become aware of the bill’s provisions such as its demerit system.

Padarath shared his own experiences with law enforcement as a motorist, saying, “I have been stopped six times for the breathalyser.

On every occasion the reading was zero.” Earlier, Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan shared his experiences, relating that recently he was lining up to conduct business at the San Fernando Licensing Office when he was approached with a shady offer. “Why are you in the line? For $700 you can get your vehicle inspected,” Rambachan related, quoting the person making him a dubious offer.

Rambachan lamented the speeding of police vehicles, and alleged officers have no respect for the general public.

He also bemoaned the heavy trucks which drive with lights that unnecessarily dazzle other motorists. Rambachan condemned general lawlessness, including on the roads, seeing this as a reflection of the common tendency to try to challenge authority.

He said “plenty money” was to be made from the new fine of $7,000 for breaking a red-light.

Relating official figures that one light was broken 4,864 times in one month, he said a $7,000 fine for each offence would rake in $3.4 million per month from that one light, or $42 million per year. If you have ten such lights, you would rake in almost half a billion dollars in a year, he calculated.

“Is this a revenue raising measure or is it really meant to deal with errant behaviour on the roads?” he mulled.

Rambachan asked how the crime situation relates to breaking traffic lights. He named several high-crime areas with traffic lights such as those near West Mall.

“I wonder if after hours in these high risk areas, these lights can be adjusted to go on blink. At those areas, people have been robbed and their glass has been smashed.” Rambachan said he backed the bill because of the economic cost and loss of lives due to the prevalence of roads accidents.

He said that in the ten years from 2005 to 2015 some 2,040 persons had lost their lives in road accidents.

“Of those, 130 were minors, 812 were drivers, 608 were passengers, 610 pedestrians, 89 motorcyclists and 51 were cyclists.” Rambachan lamented the loss of life by pedestrians who avoid using walkovers, and suggested the bill include a stiff fine for jaywalking above the paltry $10 now on the books.

He said there is a heavy economic and social cost linked to the loss of such lives, saying the nation’s economy and families become deprived.

Saying last year, TT imported an equivalent of 21 million bottles of imported liquor (in addition to locally-made rum), he calculated the country’s 500,000 adults would on average each drink 40 750 millilitre bottles of liquor per year, a hefty figure he sought to link to reckless driving.